1Course description
The National Institute of Applied Psychology (NIAP) offers a structured six-month internship designed to develop practical knowledge of psychology in workplace settings. The programme covers human resource management, recruitment and selection, employee training, leadership, organisational behaviour, performance management, employee engagement, workplace well-being and organisational research.
Through practical exercises, case studies, supervised projects and professional reporting, participants develop skills relevant to HR, talent development, organisational research and employee experience roles.
2Month-wise modules
Module 1
Foundations of Industrial and Organisational Psychology
Month 1 · 40 hours
Theory
- •Meaning, nature, scope and history of I/O psychology
- •Industrial psychology, organisational psychology and human resource management
- •Individual differences, personality and work behaviour
- •Perception, attitudes, values and job satisfaction
- •Organisational structure, workplace roles and organisational culture
- •Introduction to organisational behaviour and employee relations
- •Professional ethics, confidentiality and boundaries in workplace psychology
Practical
- •Observe and analyse workplace behaviour through a case study
- •Prepare an organisational structure chart
- •Conduct a simulated employee attitude discussion
- •Write a short report on the role of psychology in an organisation
Module 2
Human Resource Management, Recruitment and Selection
Month 2 · 60 hours
Theory
- •Functions and scope of human resource management
- •Job analysis, job descriptions and job specifications
- •Recruitment methods and candidate sourcing
- •Employee selection processes and structured interviews
- •Competency-based interviewing and behavioural questions
- •Onboarding, induction and employee orientation
- •Principles of fairness, accessibility and bias reduction
- •Introduction to psychometric assessment in employment settings
- •Reliability, validity and limitations of selection methods
Practical
- •Prepare a sample job description and person specification
- •Develop a structured interview schedule
- •Conduct mock interviews and evaluate responses using a rubric
- •Create a sample onboarding checklist
- •Review a recruitment scenario for potential bias
Module 3
Training, Learning and Employee Development
Month 3 · 70 hours
Theory
- •Principles of adult learning and workplace learning
- •Training needs analysis at organisational, task and individual levels
- •Learning objectives and training programme design
- •Training methods: workshops, demonstrations, role-play and e-learning
- •Communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills development
- •Leadership development and coaching fundamentals
- •Mentoring, career development and succession planning
- •Training evaluation and transfer of learning
- •Introduction to Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation
Practical
- •Conduct a simulated training needs analysis
- •Design a short employee training module
- •Prepare learning objectives and a session plan
- •Deliver a 10–15-minute micro-training session
- •Design a participant feedback form and evaluation checklist
Module 4
Organisational Behaviour, Leadership and Team Dynamics
Month 4 · 70 hours
Theory
- •Theories of employee motivation and their workplace applications
- •Leadership styles and leadership behaviour
- •Team formation, roles, cohesion and collaboration
- •Group decision-making and problem-solving
- •Organisational communication and feedback
- •Conflict management and negotiation
- •Power, influence and workplace relationships
- •Organisational culture, climate and change management
- •Employee engagement, commitment and retention
- •Workplace diversity, inclusion and psychological safety
Practical
- •Analyse a workplace leadership case
- •Complete a simulated team-building exercise
- •Conduct a role-play involving workplace conflict
- •Prepare a communication improvement plan
- •Analyse a fictional organisational change scenario
Module 5
Performance Management, Employee Well-being and Workplace Research
Month 5 · 80 hours
Theory
- •Performance management and goal-setting principles
- •Key performance indicators and performance review processes
- •Performance appraisal methods and common rating errors
- •Constructive feedback and performance improvement plans
- •Job satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover
- •Occupational stress, burnout risk and work–life balance
- •Workplace well-being initiatives and psychosocial risk awareness
- •Absenteeism, presenteeism and employee retention
- •Research methods: surveys, interviews and observation
- •Questionnaire development, sampling and basic descriptive statistics
- •Introduction to data interpretation and evidence-based recommendations
Practical
- •Develop a sample performance appraisal form
- •Prepare a simulated employee development plan
- •Design a short employee engagement questionnaire
- •Analyse a fictional or appropriately anonymised dataset
- •Prepare charts and a brief findings report
- •Develop a workplace well-being proposal
- •Practise communicating findings without exposing confidential information
Module 6
Supervised Organisational Practicum and Final Project
Month 6 · 80 hours
Theory
- •Workplace observation and organisational problem identification
- •Ethical planning and stakeholder communication
- •Project planning, data collection and documentation
- •Analysis of organisational issues using I/O psychology concepts
- •Development of practical, evidence-informed recommendations
- •Report writing, professional presentations and reflective practice
- •Career pathways in HR, talent development, organisational research and employee experience
Practical
- •Complete a supervised project based on a workplace issue
- •Maintain a weekly internship logbook
- •Participate in supervisor feedback sessions
- •Prepare a final project report with recommendations
- •Deliver a presentation and participate in a viva voce
- •Suggested topics: engagement, communication, training needs, leadership, work–life balance, onboarding, learning and development, organisational climate
3Learning outcomes
By the end of the internship, trainees should be able to:
- Explain core concepts and theories of industrial and organisational psychology.
- Prepare job descriptions and structured interview schedules.
- Understand recruitment, selection and onboarding procedures.
- Design basic employee training and development activities.
- Explain motivation, leadership, team dynamics and organisational culture.
- Understand performance appraisal and employee feedback processes.
- Design basic employee surveys and interpret descriptive findings.
- Identify common workplace stressors and propose appropriate well-being initiatives.
- Prepare professional organisational reports and presentations.
- Apply ethical principles and confidentiality requirements during workplace activities.
4Training hours
| Foundations of I/O psychology | 40 hrs |
| HR, recruitment and selection | 60 hrs |
| Training and employee development | 70 hrs |
| Organisational behaviour and leadership | 70 hrs |
| Performance, well-being and research | 80 hrs |
| Supervised practicum and final project | 80 hrs |
| Total (6 months) | 400 hrs |
5Assessment
| Attendance and professional conduct | 10% |
| Assignments and case studies | 15% |
| Recruitment and interview practicals | 15% |
| Training design and presentation | 15% |
| Workplace survey/research report | 15% |
| Final practicum project and report | 20% |
| Viva voce and reflective journal | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Completion requires satisfactory attendance, required assignments, the practicum and a satisfactory final evaluation.
6Records and assignments
- Internship attendance record
- Weekly activity logbook
- Workplace observation notes
- Job analysis and recruitment assignment
- Training plan and training evaluation
- Case studies and reflective assignments
- Survey instrument and research report
- Supervisor feedback forms
- Final project report and presentation
- Internship completion and evaluation records
7Eligibility and supervision
- Eligibility:
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students and graduates in psychology, human resources, management or related disciplines, subject to NIAP's admission policy.
- Certificate:
- Certificate of Completion – Industrial and Organisational Psychology Internship, showing duration, training hours and completion status. It is not a professional licence.
- Supervision:
- Delivered under suitably qualified and experienced professionals, with organisational permission before workplace activities.
- Consent and privacy:
- Informed consent for surveys, interviews or research; employee identity and confidential information are protected; anonymised or approved datasets are used.
- Fairness:
- No discriminatory recruitment or assessment practices; psychological tests used only where authorised and within competence.
- Boundaries:
- Trainees do not diagnose employees or provide clinical treatment; participation in surveys and training is voluntary where applicable.